After Bella's body washed ashore on Deer Island in Winthrop in June 2015, she was only known as "Baby Doe" until three months later, when a tip led to the arrests McCarthy and Bond. Both McCarthy and Rachelle Bond were arrested in September 2015 after Bond told a friend that McCarthy killed Bella, the friend then calling investigators with the tip.

Bond was scheduled to be sentenced to time served on Tuesday after pleading guilty to accessory charges in February in connection with her daughter's death. However, the judge postponed it to July 12 after they were unable to secure an bed at an inpatient substance abuse recovery center.